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Regret — we all experience it at one point or another, and nothing stirs up remorse quite like a bad tattoo. An estimated 32% of people in the United States have a tattoo, and about one-quarter of them may end up regretting their funny tattoos or wanting them removed.

Before getting a tattoo, most of us spend a long time picking the design, consulting with the tattoo artist, and choosing the perfect spot for our body art. The lesser part of the people get drunk, find a guitar string, some fountain pen ink, and presto — they now have a truly regrettable tattoo.

As far as we can tell there will never be a lack of tattoo fails nor a shortage of people willing to share their ugly tattoos. Bored Panda has added a new list of bad tattoos that either didn’t go as planned or will make you question what goes through people’s minds. 

From bad artists who didn’t quite nail it to bizarre artistic choices, scroll down below to see these cautionary tales of the worst tattoos ever!

#1

Some Guy Tried To Copy My Tattoo Artist's Work - Tattooed A Nipple On His Arm

Two images: one with a large chest tattoo, another badly copied tattoo on the arm, and also a tattooed nipple

samusxmetroid Report

#2

Nice Tattoo, Dave

A nonsense poem, lettering tattoo

Hairy_Cheeks Report

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joannaakayeshka avatar
Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha ha ha! What a great way to show your sense of humor. I wouldn't say this one is bad at all :D

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#3

This Guy's Haircut

The face is tattooed on the man's back head, and hair left at eyebrows and mustaches place

youdontknowimadog Report

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KCN
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Holy smokes. Who wants to look over the top of an airline seat to see that face staring at him the whole flight?

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When Do Tattoos Go Wrong?

It usually starts with a bad design or a spur-of-the-moment decision. Imagine someone picking a tattoo on the fly, not thinking about how it’ll look years down the road or if it really suits them.

Then, there’s the actual tattooing part. Things can go south if the artist isn’t… qualified, to say the least. You know, shaky lines, words spelled wrong, colors that blend into a muddy mess — basically, a great idea getting lost in the process.

And let’s not forget aftercare. Tattoos need TLC to heal right. Skipping out on the care tips can lead to all sorts of trouble, like infections or a faded, sad-looking tattoo.

And while you’re checking out these hilariously stupid tattoos, think about where it all went wrong. Was it a quirky idea that didn’t work, an artist’s slip, or maybe just bad luck in the healing process?

#4

Today I Learned That My Friend's Chinese Tattoo Literally Means "Turkey Sandwich"

Chinese lettering tattoo on an arm that means ‘Turkey Sandwich’

rebeccalmighty Report

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Sophia Cai
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know some people have tattoos in Chinese, but when I read them it's like, EPIC FAIL.

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#6

El Señor Nippleriño

A sombrero tattooed above the nipple and eyes and a smile tattooed on the nipple

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How Common is Tattoo Regret?

It turns out that tattoo regret is a real thing for quite a few people. In a Pew Research Center survey involving 8,480 adults, they found that about 24% of tattooed Americans have some regret about their ink. This isn't a tiny number, considering 32% of US adults have at least one tattoo.

Interestingly, the level of regret varies among different groups. For instance, 30% of tattooed Hispanic adults reported some regret, compared to 23% of White and 21% of Black adults. 

There also appears to be a slight variation in tattoo regret based on education levels. Those with some college or less education are more likely to regret their tattoos (25%) compared to those with higher educational levels (19%).

This info helps put things into perspective, doesn't it? As you’re scrolling through these bad tattoo choices, it’s interesting to think that a good number of these people might be part of the 24% who regret their decision.

#8

Roar

Sketchy linear black large tiger tattoo on chest and stomach

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Chris Pitch
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its the eye of the tiger...nope...hold on...I think that's a nose. or a penis

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#9

This Tiger Though

Sketchy black badly executed large tiger tattoo on the back

snake___pit Report

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joannaakayeshka avatar
Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You know nothing! This is mythical creature worshiped by ancient people of Siberia. Just kidding. This is abomination.

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What to Do When You Get a Bad Tattoo?

So, you’ve got a tattoo that didn’t turn out as awesome as you thought it would. Don’t sweat it! First off, give it some time — what seems like a disaster at first can grow on you. If not, you’ve got options.

Cover-up tattoos are a popular choice. A skilled artist can work wonders, turning your regret into a piece you’re proud of. Laser tattoo removal is another route, though it’s pricier and takes several sessions. And hey, if it’s a small or simple mistake, sometimes a little touch-up is all you need.

But remember, the best fix is prevention. Think long and hard about your design and artist choice before getting inked. And if you end up with a tattoo fail, don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes — yours just happens to be a bit more permanent!

#11

It's Supposed To Be A Galaxy

Abstract color spot tattoo on chest

blahblahblahokay Report

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#14

I Don't Even Have The Words To Explain This

Ying Yang The Simpsons characters tattoo

anyeus Report

#15

This Tattoo Was Apparently Supposed To Be Of “Stars”

Many black dots chest tattoo

macsimilian Report

#16

Maximum Facepalm

‘Believe in yourself and never lose hoop’ lettering tattoo on arm

EDJE666 Report

#17

Third Into Fourth Always Gives Me Trouble

Manual shifter numbers tattoo on wrist

_TheArtOfWars_ Report

#20

Close, But Not Close Enough

A compass showing false four cardinal directions tattoo on back

PM-ME-YOUR-TITS-GIRL Report

#21

Dog Tits

Dog tits tattoo on chest

Yzre Report

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joannaakayeshka avatar
Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, you got drunk and wanted a funny tattoo from your friend, also drunk... We get it. Now put your shirt back on. Thank you.

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#22

Turtle Head

Realistic turtle head tattoo

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criminalgirl
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Having a "turtle head" means something funny and seriously different in UK!!

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#23

The Bananas Threw Me For A Loop

Four cats inside woman's belly tattoo

Big_Miss_Steak_ Report

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Mickey
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Say what you want but the tattoo is well done. A strange choice, but executed well.

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#24

Incredible Angelina's Jolie Portrait

Badly executed Angelina's Jolie portrait tattoo

Zahedi Firooz , Missmachineee Report

#25

A Facebook Friend Wanted A Very Specific Tattoo, I Think The Artist Really Nailed It

Black pine tree and flying birds tattoo

u/SK2P1 Report

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Lucida
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don''t people check up the tattoo artist's skills before getting in the tattoo artist's chair? The birds look like they were done by a five year old and the tree is just a lump of black ink.

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#26

So My Buddy's Step Sister Got A Tattoo Of Her Mother

Badly executed mothers face tattoo

Sirflow Report

#27

This Guy Got A Sunglasses Tattoo On His Face

Sunglasses frame tattoo on face

Matthew G Report

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Ohio Hands
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing says "I dont care about ever having a good job" like a face tatt

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#29

The Girl With The Vegan Tattoo

‘Vegan’ lettering above right eyebrow tattoo

pharmaninja Report

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Lucida
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't believe she had to talk about her being vegan every five minutes (only when it was talk around food) but she definitely has to talk about her stupid tattoo every second minute.

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#30

Guy From High School Got The Same Tattoo As His Dog

Male symbol with a line inside a circle tattoo on dog and on man's arm

Chris Mendiola Report

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Liz Mosby
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never heard of tattooing for any reason. Why tattoo to show they're neutered, you can't tell by the balls missing?

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#31

My Poor Drunken Choice

Badly executed Pikachu tattoo

SaggyBeaver Report

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joannaakayeshka avatar
Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Great pooping face, Pika. Eat more healthy stuff, so your head wouldn't explode of the tension :D

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#33

A Girl I Went To High School With Has This On Her Upper Thigh

Badly executed black tiger face and roses tattoo

jennnnner Report

#34

Getting A Tattoo Of Your Newborn

Badly executed babies face tattoo

Petkevic29 Report

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Ohio Hands
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Dude, why you got a picture of a sleeping Vizzini from Princess Bride on your back?

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#35

My Uncle's New Tattoo. Christmas Will Be Awkward This Year

Color eagle face tattoo on man's forehead

InfidelCB Report

#36

This Guy's Argyle Sock Tattoo

Black argyle socks tattoo on man's legs

lovegoldengirls Report

#37

Oh My

Cut onion tattoo on woman's armpit

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, it's an onion. Whew. For a moment I thought that this was some sort of kinky sex thing. Still... an onion?!

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#40

Impressive Dot Work, But Why?

Stomach muscles in pointillism style tattoo on man

lid-vicious Report

#41

I Think Thom Yorke Will Love It

Thom Yorke's portrait tattoo on chest and his left eye a nipple

reddit.com Report

#44

Dude Sure Loves His Turtle

Nonsense poem lettering with man lifted turtle tattoo on forearm

Clever_mudblood Report

#45

Interested In The Story Behind It

Badly executed kid face with a sock in his mouth tattoo on forearm

snake___pit Report

#46

My Mom's Ex Got A Tattoo Of Her After She Passed. I Guess I Never Realized My Mom Was An Asian Man, With 5 O'clock Shadow

Badly executed woman's face tattoo

kdbk11 Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You mum will rest in peace, because her ex obviously had someone else tattooed on his arm.

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#47

Unfortunate Tattoo Placement In An Engagement Photo

‘Regret’ black lettering tattoo on woman's hand

Firedyke89 Report

#50

“My Own Design”

Black spiral tattoo

mact3n Report

#51

Please Kill Me

Badly executed kids portraits tattoos

samusxmetroid Report

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Lucida
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, don't you look up if the tattoo artist has any skills before you get tattooed?

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#52

Tiger Anatomy Continues To Baffle Artists, Survey Says

Badly executed tiger right arm sleeve and chest tattoo

ArtistStallion Report

#53

The Concept Looked So Promising

Badly executed cross, lion and Italy map tattoo

ibboRftw Report

#55

Yeah, Let’s Just Get A Spider Tattoo

Black dark spider tattoo on the left side of man's head near ear

fluffybigmac Report

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phansfanta
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's actually an amazing tattoo work because he got all of the shadings and it really pops out of his face

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#56

Instagram Find. I Never Laughed So Hard At A Tattoo

Jesus crucifixion forearm tattoo

Yzre Report

#57

Friend On Facebook Seems Proud Of This Gem

Badly executed strip dancer tattoo

coreyjuliette Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always wonder why people think that Trump is wonderful, but then I see that some people think that tats like this are great, and I realise that it's a bizarre, warped perception problem...

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#59

Friend Bought A Tattoo Gun On Amazon For £100. Tattooed Darth Vader On Himself

Badly executed Darth Vader tattoo

reddit.com Report

#62

Ryan Gosling

Black Ryan Gosling face and crab arms tattoo on arm

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#63

Leopard Print Or Little Hamburgers?

Leopard spots and butterfly tattoo on left shoulder

Lisasartbeat Report

#64

If Only Their Familey Had Warned Them

Badly executed and not correctly written three rules tattoo

gablerr Report

#65

This "Artist's" Work Comes Across My Facebook Feed Daily, Quite The Treasure Trove

Badly executed fairy tattoo

unicorn_for_lunch Report

#67

This Just Popped Up On Facebook

Hilarious girl portrait tattoo

reddit.com Report

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#68

Is It Just The Angle Or Does She Have A Pinocchio Arm?

Badly executed sailor woman tattoo

cellared Report

#69

Found On Tinder, Solid Left Swipe

Badly executed praying bodybuilder angel tattoo

AndGiraffes Report

#71

Sadly I'm Related To This Kid

Devil horns tattoo on young man's forehead

IMNOTASLAG Report

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BlackestDawn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While definitely a "what was he thinking" type of tattoo (and they really should be higher up) I find them well made.

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#72

ICP Face Make-Up Tattoo. 100% Real

Black ICP face tattoos on four man faces

potter_in_hobbiton Report

#73

Spotted On The Chicago Subway. A Paw And Bow Tie, Or...

Badly executed Hello Kitty tattoo

lizanyah Report

#74

Will It Look Good When It's Done? And Yes, It's Real

Badly executed blue and orange Ying Yang tattoo

MorganMonsterBear Report

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joannaakayeshka avatar
Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How, how will it look good at any point? Well maybe if you cover it up with something professionally done :D

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#75

I've Got A Hunch That He Isn't, "Wrongfully Convicted." Call Me Crazy, But

Lettering tattoos instead of eyebrows on young man

IHeartCokeAndHookers Report

#77

Blurring The Line Between Art And Reality

Badly executed lion couple tattoo

Spoog_McDuck Report

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#79

Thus Beauty On Facebook Marketplace

Badly executed wolf face tattoo

Real_Clever_Username Report

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Kjorn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so you pay me 30$ to get that tatoo? that's not enough add few zeros and maybe...

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#84

Was On A Dating Site And This Popped Up

Badly executed radioactive sign and two snakes on sides tattoo on back

DualSF Report

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#88

"Yeah, I Want A Full Sized Wrestling Championship Belt Tattooed Across My Stomach In Extreme Detail. Don't Worry About My Belly Button"

Large world heavyweight belt tattoo on mans stomach and waist

areckewey Report

#89

I See A Lot Of These On My Feed

Badly executed large jelly fish tattoo

Defrostmode Report

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Paul K. Johnson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People have tats of all types of animals, but this is the first one I've seen of the Taco Jellyfish.

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#90

Found This Butterface On A Local Shop's Instagram

Color badly executed man in a red suit and moon tattoo

Shock-Horror Report

#92

It Happened

Crocs shoe tattoo

snake___pit Report

#93

You Guys Remember The Movie Spirit, Right?

Badly executed yellowish horse tattoo

Keeblahbeth Report

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StrangeStars
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! I love that movie, one of my all time favourites...but ugh. That is one damn ugly tattoo.

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#94

A Tattoo Artist At A Well Known Store In My City Did This On Herself, And Posted It To Facebook. Everyone Loves It. Am I Crazy For Not Seeing What Everyone Else Sees?

Badly executed woman's face tattoo

Shesterikova Report

#96

All Eyes On You

Badly executed eyes tattoo on man's back head

snake___pit Report

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#98

When All You Want Is Long Hair

Pony tail tattoo on man's spine

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#99

I Told Him Not To Do It, My Friend Got A Centipede Tattoo On The Face

Centipede tattoo on young man's right side of the face

saltus Report

#100

Another Gem

Badly executed syringe tattoo

unicorn_for_lunch Report

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Data1001
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stupid to go so far with it, but I suppose it's possible it could save his life one day. Seems easier to just wear a MedicAlert bracelet, though...

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#102

This Dope Tiger Face Tatt

Tiger tattoo on woman's face

CrayolaCat Report

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Mickey
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Probably the best tiger tattoo on this thread, as sad as that is.

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#103

Rocky Dennis Tattoo

Rocky Dennis tattoo

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Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is accurate to the original... But you need to know the inspiration to understand this one.

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#104

Once You Go Black

Lettering and Africa map tattoo on back

Pitboss2k Report

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Aud Wey
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok for the I love africa part, but, the caption at the top... If I remember, it's about...intercourse, right?

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#105

While We're Doing Teen Mom Tattoos. Here's Amber's Tattoo Of Her Daughter

Realistic girls face and purple roses tattoo

birdinspace Report

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Beeps
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hve to say though, it’s probably *the* best child face tattoo in this entire post.

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#106

Don't People Know These Things Are Permanent?

Lettering and audio control buttons tattoo on arm

RhoosterDiesel Report

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sunnyrei82
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nice idea... terrible drawing, and the colors look like a serious skin disease.

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#109

Found This Nightmare On Instagram

Man's face covering his mouth and on hand mouth is drawn - crazy tattoo

EaFree Report

#110

From A Legit Shop

Badly executed German flag and diamond on top tattoo

akcowboi Report

#111

Fancy Dinner, Anyone?

Large red crab tattoo on shoulder and on chest

Anthony Report

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joannaakayeshka avatar
Asia
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why is this the "worst tattoo"? This is well made + fun placement...

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#112

Placement Fail

Black brass knuckles tattoo on hand

tattoogurken Report

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sunnyrei82
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that's not a real tattoo, right? Just drawing on yourself with markers during a boring class? Right?

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And that’s a wrap on our tour of tattoo disasters! We can't help but wonder which ones made you laugh or cringe the hardest. Have a favorite (or should we say, the least favorite) from this list? Go ahead and give it an upvote.

Better yet, drop us a comment and share your thoughts. Maybe you’ve got a tattoo story of your own to tell? We’re all ears!